‘Fargo’ Season One Excites
A thrilling story of small-town murder and organized crime.
Lester Nygaard’s (Martin Freeman) world is turned upside down when he meets a dangerous and mysterious professional killer, Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton).
Fargo season one is so entertaining! We are introduced to many different characters over the ten episodes, each one perfectly constructed for this particular story. The dialogue is witty and funny, and certain moments are so ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh.
Some of the lines by Lorne Malvo are absolutely hilarious. Billy Bob Thornton plays this role perfectly, too, delivering his lines with a dry wit that lands every time. Toward the end of the season, the great duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele join the cast, bringing hilarity throughout.
The change that Lester goes through is a central focus of this season. When we first meet him, it’s obvious that he’s been something of a doormat most of his life. In the first episode, Lester runs into Sam Hess (Kevin O’Grady), a man who bullied him in high school. Though both of these men are adults, Lester is still teased and humiliated by Sam, unwilling or unable to stand up to this bully.
As the season progresses, we begin to see an interesting change in Lester. He’s more willing to identify and go after what he wants, even if that means it comes at someone else’s expense. He gains agency and seeks to protect himself in ways that he never could’ve imagined before.
It’s really fascinating to watch this character shift and change over these ten episodes.
For me, the most interesting part of this show is Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman). She is one of the few women on the police force in this small town and is constantly being undermined by the male police officers around her. Whenever she has a lead or a theory about the string of murders that have happened in this small town, she’s dismissed, especially by her superior, Bill Oswalt (Bob Odenkirk).
Especially in the early episodes of the season, Solverson spends a great deal of time trying to figure out how to get others to listen to her, but none of her tactics are all that successful. She also tries to go at it herself when no one seems to believe her, but that also ends badly. You see that she is clearly exhausted by the politics around this job but also unable to stop pursuing what she knows to be the truth.
In an interesting scene, even her dad, Lou (Keith Carradine), a former police officer himself, tries to talk Molly into a different career path. Instead of choosing to do something safer and “more appropriate” for her, she sticks with policing. She knows she was meant to be a cop and is unwilling to give up her passion. Honestly, you have to respect her commitment.
Also, what an absolutely perfect name for a cop! If your last name is Solverson, you were born to solve crimes.
Fargo season one continues the great style and comedy from the beloved Coen brothers film. It is ridiculous and filled with interesting characters that you just want to spend more time with.
In another added moment of hilarity, the entire season opens with a disclaimer that this is based on a true story — it asserts that this is absolutely true. But it’s not.
What a fun way to play on this genre and our obsession with adapting true stories to the screen. You have to love these writers for that!
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